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The Conan Chronicles #2
Robert E. Howard összes Conan-története II.
A történelem előtti idők képzeletbeli korszaka, egy rég feledésbe merült, ám ősi nevekben és eltorzult mítoszokban máig fennmaradt kor elevenedik meg kötetünk lapjain. A mágia és boszorkányság, az ősi fajok hanyatlásának és az emberiség felemelkedésének ideje ez, melyben egy hatalmas erejű, kimmériai barbár kalandjait követhetjük nyomon az északi jégmezők fagyos pusztaságaitól Aquilónia trónjáig. Robert E. Howard máig legnépszerűbb alakjáról közel harminc történetet írt, melyek most új formában kerülnek az olvasó kezébe:
összegyűjtve, hiánytalanul, időrendi sorrendbe szedve, egy 2 könyvből álló sorozat formájában.
A művekkel most ismerkedők és a Conan-történetek kedvelői számára egyaránt meglepetés lehet kiadásunk következetes szerkesztése és lektorálása. A befejezett novellák mellett helyet kaptak a kötetben Howard félig kidolgozott írásai és egyetlen töredéke is, továbbá egy történeti esszé, melyben a szerző részletesen bemutatja a hybóriai világot és annak népeit.
összegyűjtve, hiánytalanul, időrendi sorrendbe szedve, egy 2 könyvből álló sorozat formájában.
A művekkel most ismerkedők és a Conan-történetek kedvelői számára egyaránt meglepetés lehet kiadásunk következetes szerkesztése és lektorálása. A befejezett novellák mellett helyet kaptak a kötetben Howard félig kidolgozott írásai és egyetlen töredéke is, továbbá egy történeti esszé, melyben a szerző részletesen bemutatja a hybóriai világot és annak népeit.
420 pages, Hardcover
First published April 26, 2001
7 people are currently reading
400 people want to read
About the author
Robert E. Howard
3,243 books2,615 followersRobert Ervin Howard was an American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. Howard wrote "over three-hundred stories and seven-hundred poems of raw power and unbridled emotion" and is especially noted for his memorable depictions of "a sombre universe of swashbuckling adventure and darkling horror."
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 11, 2019
Not bad. A classic Conan story. It has a little bit of everything, from dungeon crawls, to full scale battles, magical sorcerers, pirates and court politics and intrigue. Most of Howard's Conan tales are short stories and in some ways, Hour of the Dragon felt like a series of short stories stitched together. There is an overall narrative that keeps things moving but there is an episodic quality to it.
Some of the plot and characters seem a bit cliche now, but at the time I imagine they were actually quite groundbreaking. So I can't really knock it for that.
It does suffer from the invincible hero syndrome wherein Conan always seems to come out on top. Even when things don't go his way, he is only temporarily setback and always gets his revenge. Some of the dramatic tension is lessened as a result. It is the exact opposite of the today's trend in fantasy to have shocking and dramatic turns of fortune for main characters.
Of interest to myself was how I could see the obvious influence that Conan stories, like this one, had on the high-fantasy genre itself. Case in point, Dungeons and Dragons borrows far more from Conan in style and substance than LotR. So it was interesting to see the original in action.
Overall, it was a well written novel. Howard's writing evoked the unique Hyborian setting with ease and Conan is a fascinating character in his own right. I look forward to reading more of this short stories in the future.
Some of the plot and characters seem a bit cliche now, but at the time I imagine they were actually quite groundbreaking. So I can't really knock it for that.
It does suffer from the invincible hero syndrome wherein Conan always seems to come out on top. Even when things don't go his way, he is only temporarily setback and always gets his revenge. Some of the dramatic tension is lessened as a result. It is the exact opposite of the today's trend in fantasy to have shocking and dramatic turns of fortune for main characters.
Of interest to myself was how I could see the obvious influence that Conan stories, like this one, had on the high-fantasy genre itself. Case in point, Dungeons and Dragons borrows far more from Conan in style and substance than LotR. So it was interesting to see the original in action.
Overall, it was a well written novel. Howard's writing evoked the unique Hyborian setting with ease and Conan is a fascinating character in his own right. I look forward to reading more of this short stories in the future.
February 21, 2022
The second collection of Conan stories from editor Stephen Jones, unedited and presented in their chronological order. There's one unfinished draft and a short poem to finish the volume, along with an excellent biographical look by Jones at the last year of the author's life. These Conan stories are longer than earlier efforts, culminating in an entire novel-length work, THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON.
RED NAILS is one of the earliest Conan stories I read, in which the characterisation is a little 'off'; he almost seems civilised in this one. But the demon-haunted jungles and Aztec-influenced city action is as engaging and as brisk as ever. JEWELS OF GWAHLUR is also familiar and seemingly influenced by THE TIME MACHINE, but no less enjoyable for it. BEYOND THE BLACK RIVER changes the setting entirely, with frontier action and endless peril, and I found it absolutely electrifying; truly the author at his atmospheric best.
THE BLACK STRANGER sees our hero returning to the seas for lots of political treachery among pirates foes, and stands out for doing something differently. THE SCARLET CITADEL moves to a time when our hero is now a king, and packs so much plot and action into just 25 pages that I loved it to bits. Even this doesn't prepare the reader for the sheer brilliance of THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON, in which everything but the kitchen sink is thrown into a story of war, sorcery, betrayal, action, bloodshed, romance and more on a huge scale. Howard takes everything great about the Conan stories and incorporates it into a single and sustained tale. A great way to close what has been a very fine series of stories!
RED NAILS is one of the earliest Conan stories I read, in which the characterisation is a little 'off'; he almost seems civilised in this one. But the demon-haunted jungles and Aztec-influenced city action is as engaging and as brisk as ever. JEWELS OF GWAHLUR is also familiar and seemingly influenced by THE TIME MACHINE, but no less enjoyable for it. BEYOND THE BLACK RIVER changes the setting entirely, with frontier action and endless peril, and I found it absolutely electrifying; truly the author at his atmospheric best.
THE BLACK STRANGER sees our hero returning to the seas for lots of political treachery among pirates foes, and stands out for doing something differently. THE SCARLET CITADEL moves to a time when our hero is now a king, and packs so much plot and action into just 25 pages that I loved it to bits. Even this doesn't prepare the reader for the sheer brilliance of THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON, in which everything but the kitchen sink is thrown into a story of war, sorcery, betrayal, action, bloodshed, romance and more on a huge scale. Howard takes everything great about the Conan stories and incorporates it into a single and sustained tale. A great way to close what has been a very fine series of stories!
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January 21, 2012"Hour of the Dragon" é, sem dúvida, a minha história favorita do Conan. Um grupo de rivais tenta depor Conan do trono de Aquilonia e, para esse fim, despertam o ancestral necromante Xaltotun. Depois de uma batalha inicial em que as suas forças são derrotadas, Conan parte numa enorme aventura para descobrir o único artefacto capaz de enviar Xaltotun de volta para a campa, o Coração de Ahriman. É incrível a quantidade de ambientes pela qual o nosso bárbaro favorito passa, as aventuras que vive, os monstros que derrota e as situações porque passa. Acreditem, acontece mais nestas duzentas e poucas páginas que em muitas sagas de fantasia com dez livros. E, ainda mais surpreendente, em nenhum momento senti que a história estava a ser apressada. Tudo se passa ao ritmo certo.
Não sei se nos livros do Conan publicados pela Saída de Emergência se pode encontrar esta história, pois eu li a versão do fantasy masterworks, vista acima, e que inclui muitos outros contos (já agora, também recomendo a "The Phoenix on the Sword"), mas merece ser lida por todos os fãs de fantasia, especialmente os amantes de sword and sorcery.
E, ao falar desta novela, não posso deixar de vos mostrar a incrível figura do Xaltotun criada pela Macfarlane's Toys.
Publicado originalmente no meu blogue.
Não sei se nos livros do Conan publicados pela Saída de Emergência se pode encontrar esta história, pois eu li a versão do fantasy masterworks, vista acima, e que inclui muitos outros contos (já agora, também recomendo a "The Phoenix on the Sword"), mas merece ser lida por todos os fãs de fantasia, especialmente os amantes de sword and sorcery.
E, ao falar desta novela, não posso deixar de vos mostrar a incrível figura do Xaltotun criada pela Macfarlane's Toys.
Publicado originalmente no meu blogue.
February 6, 2017
Had I read this as a young adult I would have been utterly captivated by the character, the writings, and the wider world which Howard sets his tales. As an adult reader, encountering these tales for the first time, I've found them engaging but flawed for the most part. Whilst there is much to be admired in the world-building and in the immediacy and urgency of the writing, I found the characterisation to be pretty one-dimensional, and the plots a little too full of lucky happenstance. I can see why they are thought of as classics of the fantasy genre, and would certainly recommend them to youngsters looking to step beyond the safety of YA books into a darker, more exciting, and brutal vein of story-telling, but I don't see myself hunting down the first volume of these stories any time soon. I'd be more likely to reread Elric of Melnibone - a series that shares many of Conan's joys (and flaws) but which I encountered at the 'right' age to worm its way into my heart.
May 18, 2021
I enjoyed this second compendium of Conan stories. Most of these tales were longer than the ones in the previous collection, so we see a bit more depth as well as character and world building. These are fun romps through the savage world that Conan lives in. There are some nice twists in plot and one or two surprises, which is important when the reader has no reason to think that the main character will lose a fight. I liked all of these, but I think "The Black Stranger" was my favorite. Howard does a great job of making the reader feel isolated, which adds to that anxiety that Conan just might not make it out of this...
If you have read my previous review on "The People of the Black Circle", I feel that it's important to reiterate that for today's standards, there is definitely off-putting levels of racism and sexism. I would say even more so than the previous set of stories. I read these because Sword and Sorcery novels, and Conan especially, have inspired many other fantasy novels. As I work through more and more novels in the genre, I want to understand and be able to spot that inspiration. In that light, I am glad that I have been able to get through these stories.
If you have read my previous review on "The People of the Black Circle", I feel that it's important to reiterate that for today's standards, there is definitely off-putting levels of racism and sexism. I would say even more so than the previous set of stories. I read these because Sword and Sorcery novels, and Conan especially, have inspired many other fantasy novels. As I work through more and more novels in the genre, I want to understand and be able to spot that inspiration. In that light, I am glad that I have been able to get through these stories.
April 27, 2025
The second and final volume in this collection of original Conan's contains a smaller number of longer works than the first part, culminating in the eponymous Hour of the Dragon, Howard's only Conan novel. Honestly, it's not very good. My main gripe is that it's not really a novel so much as a collection of independent scenes tied loosely with a vague quest to find a magical MacGuffin. First Conan stabs a monkey, then Conan rescues a damsel, then Conan becomes a pirate, then he meets a vampire. Individually, these scenes could have been developed into a full fledged story each. Instead it's a monster of the week style trudge to the finale. What's worse, Conan is not at his best in this sequence, constantly getting knocked unconscious and captured, and ultimately surviving not due to his primordial energy and barbarian instincts, but just because the plot demands it.
But the collection opens with Red Nails which is one of the better Conans, so whatever.
But the collection opens with Red Nails which is one of the better Conans, so whatever.
April 25, 2021
The second collection of Conan stories, put into a chronological order to show his progression from barbarian to king.
These are somewhat more varied than the tales in The Conan Chronicles: Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle, ending with the novella sized Hour of the Dragon.
A good collection, with not too much character development just plenty of action as Conan hews his way through various wizards and dark hearted villains.
These are somewhat more varied than the tales in The Conan Chronicles: Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle, ending with the novella sized Hour of the Dragon.
A good collection, with not too much character development just plenty of action as Conan hews his way through various wizards and dark hearted villains.
August 12, 2022
If you absolutely must read Robert E. Howard's Conan stories - perhaps as research into the history of the fantasy genre - then this edition of them at least undoes the unfortunate editorial tampering postmortem and delivers the Howard-penned canon. However, said canon is such a farrago of misogynistic and racist drivel that this is scarcely worth it. Fundamentally, Howard wasn't writing anything deeper than high-octane adventure fiction, and there's no shortage of stuff which doesn't have the same baggage as this. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/201...
May 22, 2017
You can never go wrong with Robert E. Howard's Conan stories. I have read these stories numerous times and every time I get completely lost in them. These stories have blood and guts fights and grand battles, damsels in distress, pirates, thieves, assasins, sorcerers with dark magic and supernatural beasts..... what more could you want! Highly recommended!!
April 1, 2021
Fantasy from the 30s is apt to be incredibly problematic, and Conan stories are no different. With that in mind, vol. 2 of Conan feels like a much more mature, expanded version of vol. 1. This feels like an evolution from scattered adventure pulp stories to a fleshed out fantasy world worth exploring in its own right.
Want to read
October 1, 2023Red Nails (1936) • novella
Jewels of Gwahlur (1935)
Beyond the Black River (1935) • novella
The Black Stranger (post.) • novella
Wolves Beyond the Border (post.)
The Phoenix on the Sword (1932)
The Scarlet Citadel (1933)
The Hour of the Dragon (post.) • novel (variant of Conan the Conqueror)
Jewels of Gwahlur (1935)
Beyond the Black River (1935) • novella
The Black Stranger (post.) • novella
Wolves Beyond the Border (post.)
The Phoenix on the Sword (1932)
The Scarlet Citadel (1933)
The Hour of the Dragon (post.) • novel (variant of Conan the Conqueror)
November 12, 2014
I rate Robert E. Howard as the most imaginative author that I've ever read. His creative powers are perhaps the most notable in the world of Conan. Howard's detailed map of the fictitious Hyborean Age and its history, including that leading up to the time of Conan's birth, are exceptional.
I've read some of the stories featured in this collection twice before, first in my pre- and early teens, secondly in my early twenties. Other stories here are brand new to me. I read a lot of fantasy and sword & sorcery as a child and as a teen, yet in adulthood my tastes have mostly changed, except I still love Howard's Conan stories and most of his other works.
Of the two volumes of the Conan Chronicles, this second one appeals to me less, though that's not say they fail to impress. While Volume 2 features an older Conan vying for power and getting involved in more political battles, the first volume shows the barbarian at the beginning of his fame - and that fame had nothing to do with being crowned king or being political - and for my tastes I much prefer the Conan featured in Volume 1, as he is always in search of adventure, which often includes him stealing treasures from a dangerous situation, encountering a scantily-clad - or naked - woman along the way. All good fun!
Howard is, in my opinion, the best writer of battle scenes. Conan's sword fighting is superbly depicted.
His plotting is always well done without being over-complicated.
His characters are vivid, as are his descriptions.
A supreme author and a superb read.
I've read some of the stories featured in this collection twice before, first in my pre- and early teens, secondly in my early twenties. Other stories here are brand new to me. I read a lot of fantasy and sword & sorcery as a child and as a teen, yet in adulthood my tastes have mostly changed, except I still love Howard's Conan stories and most of his other works.
Of the two volumes of the Conan Chronicles, this second one appeals to me less, though that's not say they fail to impress. While Volume 2 features an older Conan vying for power and getting involved in more political battles, the first volume shows the barbarian at the beginning of his fame - and that fame had nothing to do with being crowned king or being political - and for my tastes I much prefer the Conan featured in Volume 1, as he is always in search of adventure, which often includes him stealing treasures from a dangerous situation, encountering a scantily-clad - or naked - woman along the way. All good fun!
Howard is, in my opinion, the best writer of battle scenes. Conan's sword fighting is superbly depicted.
His plotting is always well done without being over-complicated.
His characters are vivid, as are his descriptions.
A supreme author and a superb read.
May 19, 2013
I have read this book before and I realized it about half way through. I don't think I ever finished it the first time though and if I recall correctly that may because I was in the middle of reading this as I had to leave for basic training 11 or so years ago.
This is a great book and unfortunately I have not read the other one, the first part of the collection. Or at least not all of it, but who honestly knows. The way that Howard's stories have been printed and reprinted dozens of times with a different cover on each and ever one both singly and as part of numerous compendiums I have probably read half the first volume already as well and just don't know it yet.
I actually had to shelve this as a classic as well as a fantasy considering that Howard and Tolkien are the fathers of fantasy and that these stories were all written in the early 1930's. If you're a fan of dark, violent, gritty fantasy then the Conan stories are something you should get off you ass and read. If that's not your thing then, well . . . why the hell not?
This is a great book and unfortunately I have not read the other one, the first part of the collection. Or at least not all of it, but who honestly knows. The way that Howard's stories have been printed and reprinted dozens of times with a different cover on each and ever one both singly and as part of numerous compendiums I have probably read half the first volume already as well and just don't know it yet.
I actually had to shelve this as a classic as well as a fantasy considering that Howard and Tolkien are the fathers of fantasy and that these stories were all written in the early 1930's. If you're a fan of dark, violent, gritty fantasy then the Conan stories are something you should get off you ass and read. If that's not your thing then, well . . . why the hell not?
November 27, 2019
Pretty cool to see Conan in print. Decent for what it is; 1930s pulp.
June 11, 2015
El criterio editorial a la hora de ordenar estos relatos de Conan hizo que me terminara gustando más el primer volumen, que es el que reúne las historias más cortas (y en mi opinión las mejores) del bárbaro de Cimmeria. A pesar de eso la obra de Howard está por encima de la mayoría de la narrativa épica que me he encontrado jamás, y es increíble lo moderna que se siente a pesar de que muchos de los textos reunidos aquí tienen alrededor de ochenta años. Me gusta que este volumen incluya además un borrador de "Lobos de allende la frontera", que tiene la particularidad de mostrarnos un poco cómo era el proceso creativo de Howard, quien por lo visto armaba un esquema argumental que luego iba desarrollando por partes.
January 17, 2011
Incredible stories of Conan the Cimmerian by Robert E Howard. They work brilliantly through the pure energy the stories thrive on, almost like Conan is in a bar retelling his stories to a group of spectators, animating out all the action in his grand gusto. This collection is better than the first, mainly because the first one had some by-the-number stories whilst this includes the likes of Red Nails and Hour of the Dragon. Hour of the Dragon was sadly Robert E Howard's only completed novel but its incredibly fast paced for one written in his time and a worthy conclusion to the Conan chronology.
November 16, 2015
"To Xaltotun, grand fakir of Nemedia: Dog of Acheron, I am returning to my kingdom, and I mean to hang your hide on a bramble.
"Conan"
Just brilliant. Not perfect, but close enough as to not matter a damn. This collection holds a few novellas and the only novel in the Conan canon, The Hour Of The Dragon, which is astonishingly good for all that it crams several trilogies worth of action into less than 200 pages.
"Conan"
Just brilliant. Not perfect, but close enough as to not matter a damn. This collection holds a few novellas and the only novel in the Conan canon, The Hour Of The Dragon, which is astonishingly good for all that it crams several trilogies worth of action into less than 200 pages.
November 18, 2009
Conan the ultimate man! Hard as nails and a cavorter of women! What are the best things in life Conan? To have a chocolate doughnut, read a good comic book and be in a World of your own, hmm, not quite the same, as to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women!
June 25, 2009
Superb, really haven't aged. As good today as ever!
Read
April 11, 2010Conan Chronicles, The by Robert E. Howard (2001)
May 25, 2011
Robert E. Howard taught me that there's no problem which can't be solved by "iron thews," "leather wrapped broadsword," and "supple breasts."
June 4, 2013
Read it. Loved it. Recommended. For a detailed review, please visit my blog: http://tesatorul.blogspot.ro/2009/07/....
April 4, 2017
Solid Conan adventure, with a more mature King Conan losing a kingdom, then going through hell and high water (and vampires, ghouls, man-eating apes and so on) to recover a jewel that will help him overcome the most powerful necromancer on Earth.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews